Incubator and sterilization method for the same

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure discloses an incubator, comprising: a housing defining an incubation chamber, and the incubation chamber is a sealable structure; a shaker located inside the incubation chamber; one or more vent panels, which are each provided with a plurality of vent openings, wherein the incubation chamber is divided into a first area and a second area by the vent panels and the housing, and the shaker is located inside the first area; and a blowing device, for guiding gas flow; wherein, gas in the incubation chamber is driven to circulate between the first area and the second area through cooperation of the vent panels, an inner wall of the housing and the blowing device.

CROSS-REFERENCE RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of priority to PatentCooperation Treaty application number PCT/CN2020/097536, filed on Jun.22, 2020, titled “INCUBATOR WITH ORBITAL SHAKER”, and Chinese patentapplication No. 202010664166.9, filed on Jul. 10, 2020, titled“INCUBATOR AND STERILIZATION METHOD FOR THE SAME”, which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to incubators, in particular, incubatorswith built-in shakers and a sterilization method for the same.

BACKGROUND

Incubators are commonly used to culture microorganisms, plant and animalcells, and the like. The incubator needs to be cleaned,sterilized/decontaminated periodically to reduce or avoid contamination.The incubator can be cleaned and sterilized/decontaminated byformaldehyde vapor, alcohol wiping, high-temperature cooking,ultraviolet irradiation and the like. The concept of performingcleaning, sterilizing/decontaminating operations on incubators for cellculture using gases such as ozone, ethylene oxide, and the like is knownin the art.

For example, the following patent documents disclose cleaning andsterilizing/ decontaminating an incubator with a gas such as ozone.

The published patent filing EP 3307059 A2 discloses a cell cultureincubator having a transfer chamber and an internal chamber that arearranged to form an airlock configuration. Objects placed into theincubator cabinet are sterilized using ozone produced by an ozonegenerator.

The granted patent JP 5278861 B2 describes an apparatus that ensuressterilization of a CO2-incubator including a sterilization tent with anairtight hole for airtightly protruding a leading end part of a tubeconnection part and an ozone generator for pressure-feeding the ozonegas to a tube connection part.

The utility model CN 206244809 U describes a cell culture box providedwith a carbon dioxide generator, an ozone generator, a heater, etc.inside and can be sterilized by an ultraviolet lamp and ozone.

However, the structure of the above incubators is relatively simple andgeneric, and the structural complexity inside the incubatorsignificantly increases when the driving unit for the shaker is placedinside the incubator. Accordingly, thorough cleaning and sterilization/decontamination of the incubator incurs considerable complexity as well.

For example, the following patent documents each disclose an incubatorwith a built-in shaker and/or a drive unit thereof.

The published document DE 19814013 C1 describes an open-design shakerdrive, which is arranged at the lower end of an incubation chamber of anincubator used for cell culture. The open design allows moisture andmicrobial contamination to accumulate in the shaker device and does notallow for complete cleaning and decontamination due to the arrangementof mechanical and electronical parts at the bottom of the incubationchamber. Due to the additional object in the chamber gas flow isimpaired, leading to blind spots in a gas decontamination process. Thus,a thorough cleaning and decontamination of the incubator is notpossible.

The granted patent DE 102008010780 B3 discloses an incubator with ashaker device being located partly inside and partly outside theincubation chamber which can be used for cultivating cells. The driveunit with motor and drive belt are located in an adjacent device room.The shaker device features a base plate which seals the incubationchamber from the adjacent device room. Due to mechanical parts of theshaking device located at the bottom of the incubation shaker, optimalcleaning and decontamination conditions are not ensured.

The publication EP 1626082 B1 describes an incubator which has anincubation chamber and a device chamber at the lower end. To shakevessels containing cell cultures in the incubation room, an axis, whichrotates and performs eccentric movements in a horizontal plane,protrudes into the incubation chamber. At the free end of the axis thereis a shaking table for the cell culture vessels. In this design thesealing between the incubation chamber and the device chamber isconstructed as an elastic and wear-prone bellows type sealing in orderto enable the shaking movement. Contamination can get into theincubation chamber through cracks in the material.

It should be noted that the present inventors have recognized that themovement of the gas flow inside the conventional incubator for cellculture is limited, resulting in insufficient gas flow at somepositions, inhibiting introducing the corresponding gas tosterilize/decontaminate the incubator completely.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, an incubator is providedwherein flowing gas in an incubation chamber can distribute evenly inthe incubation chamber, facilitating introduction of corresponding gasfor cleaning, sterilization/decontamination of a housing of theincubator.

An incubator, comprising:

a housing defining an incubation chamber, and the incubation chamber isa sealable structure;

a shaker located within the incubation chamber;

one or more vent panels, which are each provided with a plurality ofvent openings, wherein the incubation chamber is divided into a firstarea and a second area by the vent panels and the housing, and theshaker is located inside the first area; and

a blowing device for guiding gas flow;

wherein gas in the incubation chamber is driven to circulate between thefirst area and the second area through cooperation of the vent panels,an inner wall of the housing and the blowing device.

In some embodiments, part or all of the vent openings are sequentiallydisposed in the vent panels from top to bottom, and the vent openingsare distributed across the top of the incubation chamber and the bottomof the incubation chamber.

In some embodiments, the vent panels includes a top panel and sidepanels, wherein the top panel and the side panels are disposed on abottom of the housing, and the vent openings are disposed in the toppanel and the side panels; the second area includes side channels formedby side surfaces of the inner wall of the housing and the side panels,and a t op channel formed by a top surface of the inner wall of thehousing and the top panel; the first area is an area delimited by theside panels, the top panel and a bottom surface of the inner wall of thehousing; and the side channel, the first area and the top channel aremutually matched to form an gas circulation channel, and gas is able tocirculate in the air circulation channel.

In some embodiments, part or all of the vent openings in the side panelsare located at the bottom of the incubator chamber.

In some embodiments, part or all of the vent openings are sequentiallydisposed in the side panels from top to bottom, and the vent openingsare distributed across the top of the incubation chamber and the bottomof the incubation chamber.

In some embodiments, the incubator further includes one or more blowingdevices, and part or all of the blowing devices correspond to the ventopenings in the top panel one to one, and are disposed oppositely.

In some embodiments, the incubator is provided with filters, and part orall of the filters correspond to the vent openings in the top panel oneto one.

In some embodiments, the shaker includes a drive motor and a supportstructure, the drive motor being rotationally coupled to the supportstructure; the driving motor is used for shaking a shaking table, theshaker is mounted in the incubation chamber via the support structure,and the drive motor includes a stator and a rotor; the stator is locatedin the rotor and is sealed from the first area through cooperation ofthe rotor and the support structure.

In some embodiments, the shaker is provided with a shaking table whichis releasably mounted on the shaker;

In some embodiments, the shaker is provided with a shaking table bracketfor supporting the shaking table, and a plurality of first openings areformed in the shaking table bracket.

In some embodiments, the shaking table bracket is releasably mounted tothe shaker.

In some embodiments, the incubator further comprises a sterilizing gasgenerator in the incubation chamber.

In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a second opening and aconduit, the conduit is communicated with the incubation chamber throughthe second opening to supply gas to the incubation chamber, and thehousing is provided with a valve for opening and closing the secondopening at the second opening.

In some embodiments, the distance between the shaker and the inner wallof the housing is between 75 mm and 175 mm.

In some embodiments, part or all of the vent openings are provided withfilters.

In some embodiments, the drive motor is provided with vanes.

In some embodiments, the incubation chamber includes a first state and asecond state; when the incubation chamber is in the first state, theincubation chamber is in a sealed structure; when the incubation chamberis in the second state, the incubation chamber is in an open state.

The incubator according to the embodiments of the disclosure enables thegas flow to flow to each position in the whole incubator as much aspossible, so that a “dead space” which is difficult to reach by the gasflow is avoided, and the incubator can be cleaned,sterilized/decontaminated conveniently.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a sterilization method forthe incubator is provided, to effectively sterilize/contaminate theincubator.

A sterilization method for the incubator of any one of the embodimentsabove, wherein a sterilizing gas is introduced into the incubationchamber before or during gas in the incubation chamber is circulatedbetween the first area and the second area.

In some embodiments, the vent panels include a top panel and sidepanels, the top panel and the side panels are disposed on a bottomsurface of the inner wall of the housing, and the vent openings aredisposed in the top panel and the side panels; the second area includesside channels formed by side surfaces of the inner wall of the housingand the side panels, and a top channel formed by a top surface of theinner wall of the housing and the top panel, and the first area is anarea delimited by the side panels, the top panel and a bottom surface ofthe inner wall of the housing; wherein, the gas forms a circulating flowwhich sequentially passes through the first area, the top channel, theside channels and the first area under the actuation of the blowingdevice, or the gas forms a circulating flow which sequentially passesthrough the first area, the side channel, the top channel and the firstarea under the actuation of the blowing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Likereference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate likeelements. For purposes of clarity, not every component can be labeled inevery drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of an incubator according to someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of an incubator according to someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of an incubator according to someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a front schematic view of an incubator according to someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a front schematic view of an incubator according to someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a shaking table bracket according to someembodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively show cross-sectional views of incubatorsaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The incubator 1includes a housing 110 defining an incubation chamber 2, and a shaker 10for shaking a shaking table 71. The incubator can be a sealablestructure. Specifically, the incubation chamber 2 includes a first stateand a second state. When the incubation chamber 2 is in the first state,the incubation chamber 2 is in a sealed structure, and when theincubation chamber 2 is in the second state, the incubation chamber 2 isin an open state. More specifically, the housing 110 may include a door,and the incubation chamber 2 may be opened or the incubation chamber 2may be hermetically closed by opening or closing the door so that gas inthe incubation chamber 2 cannot escape and foreign substances cannotenter into the incubation chamber 2.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the incubator 1 mayhave other devices built into it, not shown in FIG. 1, such as atemperature control device to maintain the interior of the incubationchamber 2 at a constant temperature, for example, a temperature in therange of 5 to 50 degrees celsius. In some embodiments, the housing 110may be made of a corrosion resistant material, such as stainless steel.In some embodiments, the surface roughness (Ra) of the inner wall of thehousing is less than 0.8 μm. Also, in some embodiments, the inside ofthe incubation chamber 2 is designed to be circular and rounded tofacilitate cleaning, sterilization/decontamination, and avoid deadspaces. Optionally, the radius of the rounded corner of the incubationchamber 2 is about 20 mm, for users to clean the incubation chamber.

In some embodiments, the incubator 1 further includes: a shaker 10, ventplates, and a blowing device 5. The shaker 10 may be an orbital shaker10.

The shaker 10 is disposed in the incubation chamber 2; wherein, theshaker 10 includes a shaking table bracket 7 for loading the shakingtable 71. Optionally, the shaking table bracket 7 may be provided with agroove matched with the shaking table 71 to mount the shaking table 71.

It should be noted that, in the prior art, the incubator 1 includes twochambers, one is an incubation chamber 2 for cell culture, the other isan equipment chamber, and some parts of the shaker 10, such as the drivemotor 8, are disposed in the equipment chamber, and some parts of theshaker 10, such as the shaking table 71, are disposed in the incubationchamber 2. In order to ensure a stable environment for the incubationchamber 2, a dynamic sealing structure (such as a bellows) is usuallyprovided between the incubation chamber 2 and the equipment chamber toensure that the incubation chamber 2 is relatively sealed, but the drivemotor 8 still generates certain vibration, so that the sealing effect isnot necessarily expected and the dynamic sealing structure performanceis reduced, impacting the sealing effect after long-term collision withthe shaker 10. This problem is effectively avoided in the presentapplication by placing the entire shaker 10 in the incubation chambers2. It should be understood that the shaker 10 may be connected to theshaking table 71 by a screw connection, a snap connection, or the like,in addition to the shaking table bracket 7 used for supporting theshaking table 10.

While the vent panels are provided with a plurality of vent openings500, wherein the incubation chamber 2 is divided into a first area 300and a second area 400 by the vent panels and the housing 110, and theshaker 10 is located inside the first area 300. The blowing device isfor guiding gas flow. Air in the incubation chamber 2 is driven tocirculate between the first area 300 and the second area 400 throughcooperation of the vent panels, an inner wall 116 of the housing and theblowing device. Alternatively, the vent openings 500 are sequentiallydisposed in the vent panels from top to bottom. In order to make the gasmore uniformly distributed in the incubation chamber 2, optionally, partor all of the vent openings 500 are sequentially disposed in the sidepanels 4 from top to bottom, and the vent openings 500 are distributedacross the top of the incubation chamber 2 and the bottom of theincubation chamber 2. By providing several vent openings 500 in the ventpanels, gas can pass through the vent panels to the second area 400 andthe first area 300 in different positions within the first area 300 andthe second area 400, respectively, so that the whole circulation caninvolve as much as possible of the whole incubation chamber 2. Theblowing device 5 is mainly for guiding the flow of the gas flow insidethe incubation chamber 2, and may be a fan, optionally a negativepressure fan, or may be an extracting pump or the like. The gas cancirculate in the incubation chamber 2, more specifically, the gas cancirculate back and forth between the first area 300 and the second area400 under the action of the incubation chamber 2, the vent plates andthe inner wall 116 of the housing. Firstly, the gas circulation ensuresthat the internal gas is uniformly distributed in the gas circulationarea as much as possible, which is beneficial to cleaning the incubationchamber 2 on one hand, and particularly, after the sterilizing gas isadded into the incubation chamber 2, the sterilizing gas can beuniformly distributed in each area, thereby preventing the sterilizinggas concentration in some of the areas from being too low to effectivelysterilize the incubation chamber, thus ensuring the sterilizing effect;on the other hand, the temperature in the incubation chamber 2 can beadjusted, and the local temperature difference is avoided from being toolarge. In addition, through the design that the vent panels are providedwith several vent openings 500, the gas can pass through the vent panelsat different positions of the vent panels, so that the gas circulationis enhanced, and meanwhile, the dead space in the incubation chamber 2,in which the gas cannot circulate, is reduced. It should also beunderstood that the second area is a gap area between the vent panelsand the housing 110 and is not an area where the shaker 10 is located.

More specifically, as according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the vent panels include a top panel 3 and side panels 4. Thetop panel 3 and the side panels 4 are provided on the bottom surface ofthe inner wall 116 of the housing 110, and the vent openings 500 areprovided in the top panel 3 and the side panels 4. The second area 400includes side channels 410 formed by the side surface of the inner wall116 of the housing 110 and the side panels 4, and a top channel 420formed by the top surface of the inner wall 116 of the housing 110 andthe top panel 3. The first area 300 is an area defined by the sidepanels 4, the top panel 3, and the bottom surface of the inner wall ofthe housing 110, and the side channels 410, the first area 300, and thetop channel 420 cooperate to form a gas flow circulation channel inwhich gas can flow circularly (the gas flow direction is shown by arrowsin FIG. 1).

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vent panelsmay be a component of the housing 110. For example, the vent panelsinclude a top panel 3, side panels 4, and a bottom panel. The top panel3 is a top wall of the housing 110, the side panels 4 are two oppositeside walls of the housing 110, and the bottom panel is a bottom wall ofthe housing 110. The vent openings 500 may be provided in the top panel3, the side panels 4, and/or the bottom panel. A gas flow channel forconnecting the vent openings 500 provided in the different panels isprovided in the housing 110. The housing 110 may have a multi-layerstructure, and the gas flow channel may be disposed between layers ofthe housing 110. In some examples, the gas flow channels may occupy theentire space between layers of the housing 110. When the vent openings500 are provided in the top panel 3 and the side panels 4, gas cancirculate in the gas flow channel and the first area 300 under theaction of the blowing device, the gas flow flows from the first area 300into the openings in the top panel 3 and into the gas flow channel, thenflows from the plurality of vent openings 500 in the side panels 4 intothe first area 300 and up to the openings in the top panel 3 under theaction of the suction force of the blowing device, completing thecirculation. When the vent openings 500 are provided only in the sidepanels 4, gas flows into the first area 300 from the side panel 4 in oneside and flows out of the first area 300 from the side panel 4 in theother side, thereby achieving a horizontal gas flow purge in the firstarea 300. When the vent openings 500 are provided in the top panel 3 andthe bottom panel, gas flows from the first area 300 into the openings inthe top panel 3 and into the gas flow channel, then flows from theplurality of vent openings 500 in the bottom panel into the first area300 and flows upward to the openings in the top panel 3 under thesuction of the blowing device, effecting a bottom-to-top gas flow purgein the first area 300.

Since the shaker 10 is usually rotatably attached to the supportstructure inside the incubator 1 to be fixed inside the incubator 1,this may cause the area under the shaker 10 to be sometimes difficult toclean due to the obstruction of the shaker 10. In the case where thevent openings 500 are provided in the top panel 3 and the bottom panel,the vent openings 500 are located at the bottom of the incubationchamber 2 so that the circulating gas can flow through the area underthe shaker 10, improving the ventilation effect and ensuring moreuniform gas distribution.

Alternatively, a pair of blowing devices 5 and vent openings 500corresponding to the blowing devices 5 are symmetrically provided in thetop panel 3, and the blowing devices 5 may be centrifugal fans. As shownin FIG. 1, a pair of blowing devices are respectively provided in thetop panel 3 and blow gas toward either side respectively. The resultinggas flow flows towards both sides in the top channel 420 and then turnsat the corners of the incubation chamber 2 to the side channels 410, thegas then flows into the first area 300 through a plurality of ventopenings 500 provided in the side panels 4 and flows upwards under thesuction of the blowing device, thus achieving circulation between thefirst area 300 and the second area 400. The gas purges the components ofthe shaker 10 sufficiently during the circulation to facilitatecleaning, sterilization/ decontamination and to adjust the temperaturebalance within the incubation chamber 2. It should be understood thatthe blowing device 5 may be provided on the rear wall in addition to thetop panel 3 as shown in FIG. 1, and the specific installation positionthereof may be adjusted according to the circumstances, and the presentdisclosure is not particularly limited.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the shaker 10is housed in the incubation chamber 2, and spaced apart from the bottomwall of the incubation chamber 2 at a predetermined distance rangingfrom 75 mm to 175 mm, preferably from 120 mm to 130 mm. Thepredetermined distance is higher than the distance separating the shaker10 from the bottom wall of the incubation chamber 2 in the conventionalincubator 1, so that the space between the shaker 10 and the bottom wallof the incubation chamber 2 can be uniformly flowed by the cleaning,sterilizing/decontaminating gas (e.g., ozone) to thoroughly clean,sterilize/decontaminate the components of the shaker 10.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the shaker 10includes a drive motor 8 and a support structure, the drive motor 8being rotatably connected with the support structure. The drive motor 8is used for shaking the shaking table bracket 7. The shaker 10 ismounted in the incubation chamber 2 via the support structure. The drivemotor 8 includes a stator and a rotor 19. The stator is located withinthe rotor 19 and is sealed from the first area 300 by the rotor 19cooperating with the support structure. Optionally, the outer surface ofthe rotor 19 and the part of the support structure exposed to theincubation chamber 2 are smooth surfaces to facilitate the circulationof gas. In the present application, the shaker 10 is placed in theincubation chamber 2, and structures with uneven surfaces such as statorin the shaker 10 are very suitable for bacteria breeding, affecting cellculture in the incubator 1. Therefore, by sealing the rotor 19 and thesupport structure from the incubation chamber 2, foreign substancesentering enter into the stator and rotor 19 and impacting operation ofthe motor, and bacteria breeding in the stator and rotor 19 is avoidedsimultaneously. In some embodiments, the rotor 19 is a case of the drivemotor 8. Optionally, a rotor plate 27 is provided on the rotor 19.

Specifically, an example of the internal structure (stator and rotor 19)of the shaker 10 sealing from the incubation chamber 2 is presentedbelow. The rotor plate 27 is part of the shaker 10 and together with therotor 19 forms a box, which absorbs the tilting moment from the shaker 3through the two bearings 26, the guide.

The shaker 10 can be implemented as an orbital shaker 10. The orbitalshaker 10 may include a drive motor 8, an eccentric bearing structure,an adjustable counterweight 21, a support structure for fixing theorbital shaker 10 to the bottom 115 of the housing 110, two bearings 26,and a lip seal 28. The orbital shaker 10 can further includes a controlunit 25 which controls the drive motor 8. On the orbital shaker 10, ashaking table 71 is releasable fixed. On top of the shaking table 71,one or more sample containers 15 are releasable fixed. Within eachsample container 15, a biological sample 16 is stored. When the shakingtable 71 is shaken by the orbital shaker 10, the biological sample 16 isalso shaken.

The drive motor 8 can be a rotary direct drive motor and includes astator and a rotor 19. The stator includes a plurality of axis elements17 around which magnetic coils 18 are wound, and which act as electromagnets. At an inner circumferential surface of the rotor 19, aplurality of permanent magnets 100 are disposed. Furthermore, sensors(not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) for determining the position of the rotor19 are provided. Depending on the determined positions of the rotor 19,the control unit 25 controls electric currents supplied to the magneticcoils 18 in order to rotate the rotor 19.

The rotor 19 further includes a rotor plate 27 attached (for example,screwed) to the bottom of the rotor 19. The rotor 19 and the rotor plate27 surround the axis elements 17, the magnetic coils 18 and thepermanent magnets 100. The rotor plate 27 also supports the permanentmagnets 100. For sealing the bottom of the rotor 19 to the rotor plate27, an O-ring 22 or press seal is provided between the rotor 19 and therotor plate 27.

Attached to the rotor 19 (for example, screwed to the rotor 19) is thecounterweight 21. The counterweight 21 is adjustable in that itsdistance from the rotor 19 may be manually adjusted in order tocompensate for the imbalance caused by the eccentric (orbital stroke)and mass (shaking table bracket 7, shaking table 71, sample containers15, biological sample 16, etc.) generated by the eccentric 12.

In some embodiments, the support structure may include a bushing 13 anda hollow shaft 14, as shown in FIG. 4. The bushing 13 has a crosssectional double-T-shape and is mounted (for example screwed) to thebottom 115 of the housing 110. The bottom 115 of the housing 110includes an opening through which the bushing 13 extends. Optionally,the bushing 13 abuts against the inner wall of the opening. Thus, thebushing 13 extends inside the incubation chamber 2 and in the opening atthe bottom 115 of the housing 110 of the incubator 1. Additionally, thebushing 13 may extend to the outside of the incubation chamber 2 (notshown in FIG. 4). For sealing the bushing 13 to the bottom 115 of thehousing 110, an O-ring 19 is provided at the bushing 13. The O-ring 29is in contact with an inner surface of the bottom 115 of the housing110, so that foreign substances cannot pass through the gap between thebushing 13 and the bottom 115 of the housing 110.

The hollow shaft 14 abuts against the bushing 13. The hollow shaft 14has a cylindrical shape. At outer circumferential surfaces of the hollowshaft 14, two ball bearings 26 are mounted. The hollow shaft 14 extendsfrom an upper surface of the rotor 19 to the opening at the bottom 115of the housing 110. Additionally, the hollow shaft 14 may extend to theoutside of the incubation chamber 2 (not shown in FIG. 2). The rotor 19with the rotor plate 27 is supported by the two ball bearings 26 and isconfigured to be rotated around the hollow shaft 14.

Inside the hollow shaft 14, a first passage 20 is provided. The firstpassage 20 extends between the stator and the outside of the housing110. In particular, the first passage 20 extends from the stator betweenthe two ball bearings 26 to the outside of the housing 110.

Additionally, a cooling channel (not shown in FIG. 4) may be provided inthe first passage 20. In particular, the cooling channel may extendbetween the stator and the outside of the housing 110. Within thecooling channel, a liquid can flow which helps to discharge heatgenerated by the drive motor 8 to the outside of the housing 110. Theheat generated by the drive motor 8 is discharged through the hollowshaft 14 to the outside of the housing 110.

In other embodiments, the support structure may include a base element30 and a hollow shaft 40, as shown in FIG. 5. And the hollow shaft 40only extends from the rotor 19 to a top of the base element 30. Also,the O-ring 29 is not necessary. All other elements are the same and havethe same or similar functions. Thus, they are not explained again. Thesupport structure enables the users to place the orbital shaker 10 withthe base element 30 on the bottom 115 of the housing 110 without beingfixed to the bottom 115 of the housing 110. It should be understood thatother similar structures are possible for the support structure inaddition to the two ways described above, and the present disclosure isnot particularly limited.

The eccentric bearing structure includes two first bearings 11(optionally ball bearings) stacked upon each other and an eccentric 12.The rotor 19 includes at its upper end a tray-shaped part. The two firstbearings 11 are mounted inside the tray-shaped part. The eccentric 12includes an inner shaft having a cylindrical shape which is supportedinside the two first bearings 11 so that it may be rotated.Additionally, the eccentric 12 mechanically guides the shaking tablebracket 7 such that it moves in orbital motions. The eccentric 12 islocated above the rotor 19 and the first bearings 11, and optionally,the eccentric covers the rotor 19 and the upper part of the firstbearings 11. The shaking table bracket 7 is placed on top of theeccentric 12. The shaking table bracket 7 is releasable fixed to theeccentric 12. It should be understood that the eccentric 12 is notlocated on the axis of rotation of the rotor 19.

In some embodiments, all of the first bearing 11 and the second bearing26 are sealed ball bearings. Thus, the bushing 13, the O-ring 22 (orpress seal), the hollow shaft 14, the second bearing 26, the rotor plate27, the O-ring 22, and the rotor 19 seal the stator from the incubationchamber 2, preventing foreign substances and contamination from enteringthe interior of the drive motor 8. It will be appreciated that the firstbearings 11 and second bearings 26 may be cylindrical roller bearings,angular contact bearings, thrust bearings, or the combination thereof,in addition to ball bearings.

Additionally, the lip seal 28 provides a sealing between the bushing 13and the rotor plate 27. The lip seal 28 is a flexible FDA-approvedtight-seal and is mounted on the rotor plate 27. The lip seal 28 pointstowards the bushing 13 into the incubation chamber 2, which helps tokeep the incubation chamber 2 clean, sterilized/decontaminated. Moreprecisely, the lip seal 28 is fixed at one end to the rotor plate 27 andextends at the other end downwards in the direction of bushing 13 untilit abuts bushing 13.

In some embodiments, the lip seal 28 can also be applied when the secondbearings 26 are ball bearings (i.e., normal ball bearings), instead ofthe second bearings 26 being sealed ball bearings. The stator iscompletely encapsulated by the bushing 13, the O-ring 29, the lip seal28, the rotor plate 27, the O-ring 22 and the rotor 19, so that thestator and incubation chamber 2 are sealed from each other andsubstances in the incubation chamber 2 contacting the stator is avoided.

Moreover, in another embodiment, the lip seal 28 may be omitted and onlythe bushing 13, the O-ring 29, the hollow shaft 14, the second bearings16 (optionally sealed ball bearings), the rotor plate 27, the O-ring 22,and the rotor 19 fully encapsulate the stator from the incubationchamber 2. This embodiment has the advantage that the lip seal 28 isomitted and the influence of long-term operation on the sealing of thedrive motor 8 due to damage to the lip seal is avoided.

In order to facilitate cleaning, sterilization/decontamination of theorbital incubator shaker 1, the inner surface of the housing 110, therotor 19, the counterweight 21, the hollow shaft 14 and/or the bushing13 may be made of stainless steel. Moreover, the outer surface of thehousing 110 or the entire incubator 1 may be made of stainless steel.The surfaces of the incubation chamber 2 may be designed such that nohidden vaults or dead spaces are present. Specifically, all connectionsof the elements of the orbital shaker 10 are not only covered but alsosealed. In particular, the orbital shaker 10 is designed to comply withthe norm ISO 14159:2002 “Safety of machinery—Hygiene requirements forthe design of machinery” such that all parts inside the incubationchamber 2 are accessible for cleaning and sterilization/decontamination.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, part or all ofthe vent openings 500 are provided with filters 6, optionally HEPAfilters 6. The filters 6 may filter particulate matter and the like fromthe gas before it enters the exhaust fan. Optionally, the filter 6 islocated in front of the blowing device.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the incubator 1further includes a sterilizing gas generator. In some embodiments thesterilizing gas generator is an ozone generator 31 disposed in theincubation chamber 2. The ozone generator 31 can generate ozone to cleanand sterilize the inside of the incubator 1. It should be understoodthat the sterilizing gas generator may be a generator for othersterilizing gases, instead of the ozone generator 31.

It should be understood that, in addition to disposing the sterilizinggas generator inside the incubation chamber 2, sterilizing gas can besupplied to the inside of the housing 110 through an external pipeline.Specifically, the housing 110 can be provided with a second opening 117and a conduit 118 in communication with the incubation chamber 2 throughthe second opening 117 to supply gas to the incubation chamber 2. And avalve 119 for opening and closing the second opening 117 is disposed atthe second opening of the housing 110. It will be appreciated that theconduit 118 is removably connected to the housing 110 and can be removedif desired. It will be appreciated that the conduit can supply gasessuch as oxygen, nitrogen, air, etc. to the interior of the incubationchamber 2 in addition to the sterilizing gas.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, in order tofurther facilitate the uniform flow of gas from bottom to top, aplurality of first openings are provided in the shaking table bracket 7,and the opportunity for parts lying underneath to be cleaned by hand isprovided as well, as shown in FIG. 6. The first openings may berectangular, circular, oval, polygonal, etc., and the present disclosureis not particularly limited. Alternatively, in some embodiments, theshaking table bracket 7 is removably mounted on the shaker 10, and canbe removed when the user needs to clean the incubation chamber 2.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive motor8 is provided with vanes 9. When the shaker 10 is in operation, thedrive motor 8 rotates the vanes 9, so that the vanes 9 further drive thegas flow upwardly.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a sterilizationmethod for the incubator 1 is provided, including the incubator 1 of anyof the above embodiments, wherein a sterilizing gas is introduced intothe incubation chamber 2 before or during gas in the incubation chamber2 is circulated between the first area 300 and the second area 400.

In some embodiments, the vent panels includes a top panel 3 and sidepanels 4, the top panel 3 and the side panels 4 are disposed on a bottomsurface of the inner wall of the housing 110, and the vent openings 500are disposed in the top panel 3 and the side panels 4; the second area400 includes side channels 410 formed by side surfaces of the inner wallof the housing 110 and the side panels 4, and a top channel 420 formedby a top surface of the inner wall of the housing 110 and the top panel3, and the first area 300 is an area delimited by the side panels 4, thetop panel 3 and a bottom surface of the inner wall of the housing 110;wherein, the gas forms a circulating flow which sequentially passesthrough the first area 300, the top channel 420, the side channels 410and the first area 300 under the actuation of the blowing device 5, orthe gas forms a circulating flow which sequentially passes through thefirst area 300, the side channel 410, the top channel 420 and the firstarea 300 under the actuation of the blowing device 5.

Having now described some illustrative implementations, it is apparentthat the foregoing is illustrative and not limiting, having beenpresented by way of example. In particular, although many of theexamples presented herein involve specific combinations of method actsor system elements, those acts and those elements can be combined inother ways to accomplish the same objectives. Acts, elements andfeatures discussed in connection with one implementation are notintended to be excluded from a similar role in other implementations orimplementations.

The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including”, “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”,“characterized by”, “characterized in that” and variations thereofherein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter, equivalentsthereof, and additional items, as well as alternate implementationsconsisting of the items listed thereafter exclusively. In oneimplementation, the systems and methods described herein consist of one,each combination of more than one, or all of the described elements,acts, or components.

Any references to implementations or elements or acts of the systems andmethods herein referred to in the singular can also embraceimplementations including a plurality of these elements, and anyreferences in plural to any implementation or element or act herein canalso embrace implementations including only a single element. Referencesin the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presentlydisclosed systems or methods, their components, acts, or elements tosingle or plural configurations. References to any act or element beingbased on any information, act or element can include implementationswhere the act or element is based at least in part on any information,act, or element.

Any implementation disclosed herein can be combined with any otherimplementation or embodiment, and references to “an implementation,”“some implementations,” “one implementation” or the like are notnecessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the implementation can be included in at least one implementationor embodiment. Such terms as used herein are not necessarily allreferring to the same implementation. Any implementation can be combinedwith any other implementation, inclusively or exclusively, in any mannerconsistent with the aspects and implementations disclosed herein.

References to “or” can be construed as inclusive so that any termsdescribed using “or” can indicate any of a single, more than one, andall of the described terms. For example, a reference to “at least one of‘A’ and ‘B’” can include only ‘A’, only ‘B’, as well as both ‘A’ and‘B’. Such references used in conjunction with “comprising” or other openterminology can include additional items.

Where technical features in the drawings, detailed description or anyclaim are followed by reference signs, the reference signs have beenincluded to increase the intelligibility of the drawings, detaileddescription, and claims. Accordingly, neither the reference signs northeir absence has any limiting effect on the scope of any claimelements.

Modifications of described elements and acts such as variations insizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the variouselements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials,colors, orientations can occur without materially departing from theteachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein. Forexample, elements shown as integrally formed can be constructed ofmultiple parts or elements, the position of elements can be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements orpositions can be altered or varied. Other substitutions, modifications,changes and omissions can also be made in the design, operatingconditions and arrangement of the disclosed elements and operationswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The systems and methods described herein can be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the characteristics thereof. Scopeof the systems and methods described herein is thus indicated by theappended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and changes thatcome within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims areembraced therein.

Systems and methods described herein may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the characteristics thereof. For example,descriptions of positive and negative electrical characteristics may bereversed. For example, elements described as negative elements caninstead be configured as positive elements and elements described aspositive elements can instead by configured as negative elements.Further relative parallel, planar, perpendicular, vertical or otherpositioning or orientation descriptions include variations within +/−10%or +/−10 degrees of pure vertical, planar, parallel or perpendicularpositioning. References to “approximately,” “about” “substantially” orother terms of degree include variations of +/−10% from the givenmeasurement, unit, or range unless explicitly indicated otherwise.Coupled elements can be electrically, mechanically, or physicallycoupled with one another directly or with intervening elements. Scope ofthe systems and methods described herein is thus indicated by theappended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and changes thatcome within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims areembraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An incubator, comprising: a housing defining anincubation chamber, and the incubation chamber is a sealable structure;a shaker located inside the incubation chamber; one or more vent panels,which are each provided with a plurality of vent openings, wherein theincubation chamber is divided into a first area and a second area by thevent panels and the housing, and the shaker is located inside the firstarea; and a blowing device for guiding gas flow; wherein gas in theincubation chamber is driven to circulate between the first area and thesecond area through cooperation of the vent panels, an inner wall of thehousing and the blowing device.
 2. The incubator of claim 1, whereinpart or all of the vent openings are sequentially disposed in the ventpanels from top to bottom, and the vent openings are distributed acrossthe top of the incubation chamber and the bottom of the incubationchamber.
 3. The incubator of claim 1, wherein the vent panels comprisesa top panel and side panels, the top panel and the side panels aredisposed on a bottom of the housing, and the vent openings are disposedin the top panel and the side panels; the second area comprises sidechannel s formed by side surfaces of the inner wall of the housing andthe side panels, and a top channel formed by a top surface of the innerwall of the housing and the top panel; the first area is an areadelimited by the side panels, the top panel and a bottom surface of theinner wall of the housing; and the side channel, the first area and thetop channel are mutually matched to form an gas circulation channel, andgas is able to circulate in the gas circulation channel.
 4. Theincubator of claim 3, wherein part or all of the vent openings in theside panels are located at the bottom of the incubator.
 5. The incubatorof claim 3, wherein part or all of the vent openings are sequentiallydisposed in the side panels from top to bottom, and the vent openingsare distributed across the top of the incubation chamber and the bottomof the incubation chamber.
 6. The incubator of claim 3, wherein theincubator further comprises one or more blowing devices, and part or allof the blowing devices correspond to the vent openings in the top panelone to one and are disposed oppositely.
 7. The incubator of claim 3,wherein the incubator is provided with filters, and part or all of thefilters correspond to the vent openings in the top panel one to one. 8.The incubator of claim 1, wherein the shaker comprises a drive motor anda support structure, the drive motor being rotationally coupled to thesupport structure; the driving motor is used for shaking a shakingtable, the shaker is mounted in the incubation chamber via the supportstructure, and the drive motor comprises a stator and a rotor; thestator is located in the rotor and is sealed from the first area throughcooperation of the rotor and the support structure.
 9. The incubator ofclaim 1, wherein the shaker is provided with a shaking table which isreleasably mounted on the shaker;
 10. The incubator of claim 9, whereinthe shaker is provided with a shaking table bracket for supporting theshaking table, and a plurality of first openings are formed in theshaking table bracket.
 11. The incubator of claim 10, wherein theshaking table bracket is releasably mounted to the shaker.
 12. Theincubator of claim 1, further comprising a sterilizing gas generatordisposed in the incubation chamber.
 13. The incubator of claim 1,wherein the housing is provided with a second opening and a conduit, theconduit is communicated with the incubation chamber through the secondopening to supply gas to the incubation chamber, and the housing isprovided with a valve for opening and closing the second opening at thesecond opening.
 14. The incubator of claim 1, wherein the distancebetween the shaker and the inner wall of the housing is between 75 mmand 175 mm.
 15. The incubator of claim 1, wherein part or all of thevent openings are provided with filters.
 16. The incubator of claim 5,wherein the drive motor is provided with vanes.
 17. The incubator ofclaim 1, wherein the incubation chamber comprises a first state and asecond state; when the incubation chamber is in the first state, theincubation chamber is in a sealed structure; when the incubation chamberis in the second state, the incubation chamber is in an open state. 18.The incubator of claim 1, wherein the incubator is an orbital shakerincubator.
 19. A sterilization method for the incubator of claim 1,wherein a sterilizing gas is introduced into the incubation chamberbefore or during gas in the incubation chamber is circulated between thefirst area and the second area.
 20. The sterilization method of claim19, wherein the vent panels comprises a top panel and side panels, thetop panel and the side panels are disposed on a bottom surface of theinner wall of the housing, and the vent openings are disposed in the toppanel and the side panels; the second area comprises side channel sformed by side surfaces of the inner wall of the housing and the sidepanels, and a top channel formed by a top surface of the inner wall ofthe housing and the top panel, and the first area is an area delimitedby the side panels, the top panel and a bottom surface of the inner wallof the housing; wherein, the gas forms a circulating flow whichsequentially passes through the first area, the top channel, the sidechannel and the first area under the actuation of the blowing device, orthe gas forms a circulating flow which sequentially passes through thefirst area, the side channel, the top channel and the first area underthe actuation of the blowing device.